Rosemary explores materials through printmaking, textiles, painting and installation. Her work has been exhibited widely in solo and group shows. In 1988 she was ‘Artist in Residence’ for the (then) QE11 Arts Council, New Zealand. Awards include the BNZ Art Award for Printmaking (1985), and 3rd prize in the inaugural ‘National Printmaking Exhibition’, 2013. In 2012 images from her Master’s project, ‘Rising Up – Running Out, An Exploration of Oil’ installation at Guy’s Body Shop, were shown on the 2nd floor screen at Saatchi Gallery, London.

In 2014 she was announced as one of six winners of the 34th Mini Print International of Cadaqués, selected from 740 exhibiting artists from 56 countries. A solo exhibition of her work was held at Taller Galleria Fort, Cadaqués, Spain, in July 2015. In September 2015 she was selected as a finalist in the prestigious Hutchins Art Prize in Australia.

Rosemary taught at the former Wellington Polytechnic School of Design (Massey University), Whitireia Polytechnic, and is currently teaching at Inverlochy Art School.

Represented in USA by New Grounds Print Workshop and Gallery, Albuquerque, New Mexico

I began my art practise as a printmaker, and in recent years I have returned to print processes, using the detritus of industry to make my work. Unpicking linings, tugging apart layers and discovering strange interiors, I have deconstructed leather clothing and printed the individual pattern pieces. Once luxurious, still serviceable, it was made by people who could never afford to replace clothes at the alarming rate the western fashion industry dictates. As fashion’s slaves we shop for stimulation, desire and satisfaction, while at home our cupboards burst with previous ‘investments’, now almost worthless due to this artificial construct. My work reflects on an internal conflict…the desire for beautiful things and the growing knowledge of the real cost. It considers the disposable nature of fashion, first world consumption and obsession, and questions the price paid by poorer countries.